E-bike charging at Kiel's Hörn with smart city partner Addix

Smart city developer Addix and Bikeep launched their partnership in April 2021 with a Bikeep station at the Hörncampus in Kiel. The five docks sit near the ferry, the central train station and the bus station, so riders can switch easily between bike and public transport. Every dock has e-bike charging, and both parking and charging are free.

Part of a smart city plan

Addix works on Kiel's Clean Autonomous Public Transport project, CAPTn, which is building data infrastructure and an autonomous ferry to bring the Kiel Fjord into the city's public transport. Bikes are part of that plan.

"Clean Autonomous Public Transport is essential for Smart Mobility, but needs to include all kinds of transportation, especially bikes. We are proud to work together with Bikeep to integrate secure and smart bike lockers into our digital infrastructure for Smart Cities and help cities worldwide to reduce CO2 emissions and become climate neutral." Björn Schwarze, CEO of Addix

At launch, the two companies said they wanted to take their partnership to Tallinn and San Francisco as well.

How it works

• Free parking and charging. Riders lock up and charge their e-bike at no cost.
• App or card. Docks open with the Bikeep app or an NFC card.
• Theft protection. A locking bar holds the frame, and every dock sounds an alarm if someone tampers with a locked bike.

Local paper Kieler Nachrichten called it a luxury option for parking a bike in public space, and covered the station in German.

A smarter city

"The smart city concept is more than digitalization and convenience, it is the foundation of a better, more sustainable future." Kristjan Lind, CEO of Bikeep

Since it opened, the Hörncampus station has logged more than 2,400 parkings by around 40 regular riders. More on stations for public transport.